Created in 1935, Plum Gateway is a color woodblock design. Plum blossom is an early sign of spring and a traditional emblem of endurance because it flowers in cold weather. The gateway frames the blossom, joining seasonal symbolism to the experience of entering a garden or residence.
In the design, Yoshida focuses on seasonal plant forms whose color and repeated contours dominate the design. Seasonal color is balanced against stable architectural and landscape forms, giving the scene both immediacy and order. Crisp carved contours are balanced with graduated color, combining descriptive precision with the atmospheric effects associated with Yoshida’s approach to modern color woodblock printing.
The design belongs to Yoshida’s mature period, when he expanded the subjects available to modern Japanese woodblock printing while retaining the discipline of observed light and place.
Additional information
| Year Published | 1935 |
|---|---|
| Size | Ōban |
| Signed | Hiroshi Yoshida |
| Editions | Jizuri |
| Subjects | gateway, people, plum, structure, trees |
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